Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is reading this week.
The More You Know? – Trump has announced his son in law, Jared Kirshner, will be a senior advisor. Who is this guy? Read more in New York Magazine.
Path Forward – With many Cabinet nominees to begin having hearings this week, which is part of the advice and consent role of the Senate. The Washington Post has the whole process (with flow charts!).
Read My Lips – Legislators in some of the nation’s most conservative states are considering new ways to boost revenue — including tax increases — after years of deep cuts and a global commodity bust that has robbed them of billions of anticipated dollars. Read more in The Hill.
Campaign Promise: An Infrastructure Package – Congress and the incoming administration have been dropping hints about one of Donald Trump’s biggest campaign promises: revitalizing U.S. roads, bridges and airports. Read more on The Hill.
The Cabinet & Education – The U.S. Department of Education is not the only office with power over student-related policy. Several more cabinet nominees could have influence over education. Read more on The Atlantic.
“No New Deals” – Sike! – Donald Trump will not sell his business nor place his assets in a blind trust while serving as president, and top federal ethics official says Trump’s conflicts of interest plan, announced at a press conference this week, is ‘meaningless.’ Read more on Politico.
Moving Ahead—Although there is disagreement among Congressional Republicans on whether to repeal and replace ObamaCare simultaneously, they are taking procedural steps to allow for a repeal. Read more in The Hill.
Support for DACA – Even with immigration reform as one of the hot-button agenda items for both the new Administration and Congress, there seems to be support from both the left and some quarters of the right for keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order signed by President Obama. Read more in The Wall Street Journal.